


I hear you now

by CandiceWright



Series: My little merthur stories [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Era, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Huddling For Warmth, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Merlin Needs a Hug (Merlin), Post-Magic Reveal, Sleepy Cuddles, They just need some love, and arthur wants to give him one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-08-13 19:07:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20179234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CandiceWright/pseuds/CandiceWright
Summary: Arthur asks Merlin to leave Camelot after learning about his magic. But they can't stay away for too long.





	I hear you now

**Author's Note:**

> This is another short Merthur fic. I really enjoyed writing this one so I hope you'll like it too. I'm working on three other big projects and soon I'll start posting some of them. I'm excited!

The forest floor was damp and cold. The magic-fueled fire wasn’t nearly enough to keep Merlin from shivering. Teeth chattering and drops of water against the leaves were the only things that could be heard in the dead of the night. The clothes he had taken with him weren’t more than mere rags at that point and his boots were starting to break. He hadn’t eaten since he left. But despite knowing that he would have to hunt to stay alive, he couldn’t bring himself to care about his own wellbeing. 

So he decided to let himself go. He lied down with his head resting on top of his bag and pulled his only blanket over his weak body. He started breathing deeply, allowing the tears that he had tried so hard to contain for the past week to finally fall. He permitted the memories of his golden prince to fill his mind. After all, this was all for him anyways. His body started going limp, his previous pain disappearing until an unnerving numbness replaced it. He looked at the sky, memorizing the patterns in the stars and creating his own with the clouds. His eyes started to close until he was surrounded only by darkness. Then, the cold disappeared and a comforting warmth enveloped him.

_ Finally. _

A ray of light startled Merlin awake, but he found that he couldn’t really move. His entire body felt too heavy for such a thing. The feeling of yesterday hadn’t subsided, however. Something steady, strong and calming held him in his sleep. His vision was too blurry to make out exactly what it was, but it wasn’t necessary. The golden light and the all-too-familiar scent made it painfully clear.

“A-arthur?” He forced the name through his dry throat. The Prince moved and opened his eyes until they were staring right through Merlin.

“Oh, thank God. You’re awake.” The relief in his voice only helped making the younger boy more confused. “I thought I’d lost you.”

“I thought that’s what you wanted.”

“What?”

“You did say you never wanted to see me again.” He couldn’t help the bitter and sad tone of his voice as he recalled that conversation.

“I did. But it didn’t mean I wanted you dead.”

“Really? Could have fooled me.”

Arthur looked away. His jaw was tense and his brow furrowed. 

“I never wanted you to feel that way. I’m sorry for what I said.” Now it was Merlin’s turn to look away.

“You have nothing to be sorry about. It was my fault.”

“Maybe, but I should have at least listened to you.”

“Perhaps. But I don’t blame you for how you reacted. Hell, if I were you I wouldn’t have listened to me either.” Arthur chuckled.

“I know.” He paused. “But you’re my friend. You’ve never been anything but loyal to me and I disregarded that and kicked you out without even letting you explain. There’s no excuse for that.”

“There’s no excuse for lying to your friend for years either. We both did things that we regret.”

“I guess that’s true.”

They stayed quiet for a while. Arthur still had his arms wrapped around Merlin, unwilling to let him go. Merlin would have tried to free himself if he wasn’t so weak or if he actually wanted to. But he hadn’t felt so warm since he had left Camelot and he wasn’t going to give it up that soon. 

The fire that had kept burning for a few days was now gone. the warlock looked at it and let his magic free for a moment. When the flames came back to life he heard a sharp intake of breath and he felt the muscles that held him tense for a few seconds before going back to normal.

“Merlin I-” He sighed. “This will take me some time to get used to. But I know you would never betray me. You once told me that I needed to listen as well as I fight.” Merlin nodded. “Well, now I’m willing to listen.”

“Do you mean that?” The black-haired boy asked, sounding as hopeful as he felt.

“Yes, I do.” Merlin beamed at him and Arthur couldn’t resist it so he smiled back. “Look, all my life I’ve been told that magic is evil. That once it’s learnt and used it corrupts the soul until there’s no good left. But I refuse to believe that’s true if you have it. You are kind, generous, incredibly loyal and stupidly brave. Don’t get me wrong you’re also a horrible servant and unbelievably annoying.” The warlock snorted. “But if there’s one thing you are not, it’s evil. What I’m trying to say here is, well. I know that I asked you to leave. But, if you wanted, i’d like you to come back with me.”

“Hmm, I don’t know. What’s in it for me?” Merlin grinned.

“You cheeky little- Fine, what do you want?”

“A day off.”

“A day off?!? Do you expect me to make do without a servant? Or worse, to spend an entire day with George!” Merlin raised an eyebrow in what he hoped would be a good impression of Gaius. Arthur sighed. “Fine. So, you’re coming then?”

“Of course. It’s not that easy to get rid of me.”

They both laughed.

**Author's Note:**

> Every comment is appreciated!


End file.
